The Office of Information Technology’s Classroom and AV Support Team is eager to serve the needs of our campus community. The individuals are trained and certified in designing and programming AV solutions for the classroom, as well as possess years of experience with live events. The team oversaw over 4,000 requests for AV support at events last school year and performed over 40 classroom updates in the summer alone, with another 28 to be completed this coming summer. This is the team that is behind the scenes making the magic happen.
Shawn Remek, Director of Events and Classroom Support
Shawn began his career with SMU in 1996 working in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center (HTSC) for the event support team. His skills with audiovisual (AV) equipment and services did not go unnoticed, and he became part of the HTSC AV Support Team in 1998. Within ten years he was the Director of Audio Visual Event Support for all of SMU. Shawn served as Interim Director of the Hughes-Trigg Student Center and then transitioned over to the Office of Information Technology as the Director of Events and Classroom Support. In his current role, he manages the Classroom and AV Support Team to assists with classroom and event AV needs across campus.
Shawn earned a bachelor’s in History from SMU in 2004 and completed his MBA at Cox School of Business just three years later.
Chris Gaut
Chris came to SMU as a student in the fall of 2005. In January of 2007, he was a student worker providing AV support in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center (HTSC). After graduating in 2010 with a degree in Psychology, Chris continued to work part-time for the HTSC and was finally made a full-time employee in July 2013. He later transferred to the Office of Information Technology’s Classroom and AV Support Team managing HTSC events as well as those in the Meadows Museum, Jones Hall, and across Dedman College. During his time in HTSC, Chris met the woman who would become his wife and married in 2017. That was a year of change for Chris, as professionally, he shifted his focus to classroom support and AV upgrades.
Outside of work, Chris enjoys driving his Mazda RX8 rotary engine sports car (when it runs) and watching the fish in his 200-gallon tropical aquarium. Chris is also an expert skier and likes to spend his winter break in Utah enjoying the snow and time with his family.
Jim Jaeger
Jim Jaeger has been with SMU for over 18-years. Starting in 2001 as a Desktop and Hardware Technician for Information Technology Services (now the Office of Information Technology), Jim supported Macs and HP printers before transitioning to the Desktop Installation Team. He later joined the Classroom and AV Support Team as an AV Design Engineer. In this role, Jim designs classrooms and meeting spaces across campus. He also supervises the install and deployment of the campus digital signage systems.
Before coming to SMU, Jim worked as an Electrical Tech at Fermi National Laboratory, as an Electronic Technician at Desertron – better known as the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC) outside of Waxahachie, Texas – and as a Computer Technician at the Dallas Morning News.
Kolby Howard
Kolby Howard has a passion for film. After accumulating four years of experience at the university level – he is a graduate of the University of North Texas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film/Cinema/Video Studies – he is putting that expertise to work for the Classroom and AV Support Team. Joining the team in 2018, Kolby is one of the newest members of the Classroom and AV Support Team.
Kolby enjoys video games, writing scripts, watching and producing films.
Russel Niedermayer
Russel Niedermayer started honing his skills in AV support and customer service as an Event Technology Associate at the Marriott International before moving into the role of Event Technology Operations Supervisor of The Ritz-Carlton Dallas. After over ten years in the hospitality industry, Russel moved into education joining the Office of Information Technology Classroom and AV Support Team. Russel celebrates his one year with the SMU family this coming August.
In his free time, he is usually found with his wife and two dogs, backpacking in Wyoming – he even has a tattoo of the Grand Tetons on his forearms – or enjoying his passion for film and television.
Winston Phan
Winston Phan has been working with the Office of Information Technology for almost seven years. Before coming to SMU, Winston worked in the Medical Lab at Greenville Memorial Hospital and was VLSI Design Engineer for STMicroelectronics. Currently, he provides AV support for classrooms and events.
